Femi Adesina (OON), President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, is a great journalist who made name for himself writing weekly ‘kuli-kuli’ column in the ‘Sun’ Newspaper in Lagos prior to his Aso Villa baptism of fire. For the past eventful eight years he has been around defending his principal and making himself heard in the media. He would be remembered for his vitriolic essays and name-callings.
As a professional journalist cum image-maker for an underwhelming President whose second four-year tenure ends in a month’s time Adesina must have seen it all and heard it all. Yet if service to the motherland includes insulting the sensibilities of those who elected one to power then such ‘service’ must be deplored.
He gave the Buhari critics many names including ‘wailing-wailers’. Adesina is good at playing the role he was assigned to play from day one: defend whatever policy or action (or inaction) of the APC-led federal government no matter how unpopular or unpalatable.
In the media and propaganda department of the Buhari regime you have other formidable propagandists like the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President. With the three, Buhari could not have assembled a better team to call a spade by another name or paint black white all in the name of defending the indefensible.
Before Femi Adesina assumed his role as Buhari’s chief media Adviser, great journalists like the late Duro Onabule, Reuben Abati and Olusegun Adeniyi had been there before. He remains a man with a great sense of history who understands what needs to be done to properly situate the governance efforts of Buharism, praising it and heaping accolades on his principal.
Abati, who served under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, was remembered more for the controversial post-service article he wrote about Aso Rock and the mysterious happenings there. Again we cannot forget how he went to jail for accepting the Col. Sambo Dasuki largesse!
In October of 2016 Abati had published “The Spiritual Side Of Aso Villa” in which he sought to demystify the Villa. The prolific senior journalist wrote that he was “convinced that there must be something supernatural about power and closeness to it”.
He told us about the ‘forces of evil’ operating in the Villa! And how some appointees had their bath with blood every other morning! How some folks walked upside down, head to the ground! About how mysterious events like sudden deaths or fatal accidents kept happening in the Villa.
Abati was obviously happy that he came out of the Villa with his body and soul intact! Today he still practises journalism working with Arise TV.
In terms of cluelessness it is debatable who between GEJ and PMB would take home the ‘trophy’! Abati tried his best to prop up Jonathan even when the latter was busy drinking wine and eating cassava bread.
Under Buharism Femi’s best efforts to project the image of his master as one of Mr integrity and frugality hit a wall a long time ago. While Buhari’s much-vaunted frugality could be intact the war on corruption has been nothing but a show fit for Nollywood fiction.
Under his watch the worst graft cases were discovered but nothing tangible in terms of prosecution was done to demonstrate any serious commitment to the war. Where do we start? Maina-gate? Lawal-gate? Or other ‘gates’ too numerous to mention here?
Olusegun Adeniyi is a gentleman who served the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as a media ‘hitman’. Among the special assistants or media advisers of all the Presidents, Adeniyi appears to be the most accomplished of them all. He has written a couple of insightful and interesting books about power and the players in Nigeria.
Now, Adesina had said in his latest piece that he had finished packing his bags and clearing and cleaning of his office desk for the next occupant of the same. Femi, from all indications, ‘loves’ Buhari so much that he could have taken a bullet meant for the Daura-born retired army General!
Buhari’s eight years in supreme power will be remembered for many things — many uglier than others. On a positive note the lanky Katsina man would be remembered for his modest infrastructural developments. He would be remembered for changing the colour of the Naira just a few weeks to the scheduled presidential poll!
On a negative note, however, Buhari would forever be remembered for his ethnic bigotry and religious fanaticism! Yes, it takes a presidential ethnic bigot and Islamic fundamentalist to appoint almost all security Chiefs from his northern region! It takes an executive bigoted one to aid and abet the terrorism exploits of his Fulani herdsmen.
Buhari would be remembered for his cluelessness and administrative fumbling and wobbling! He would be remembered for saying in the very beginning of his administration that those who gave him ‘5 percent’ of the votes could not expect him to treat them equally as those that gave him millions of votes!
Just before big brother Adesina goes home let us remind him about the transience of power. And how power could transform one from one state to another, good or bad. Adesina has indeed been transformed but whether for good or bad is left in the realm of imagination.
Life has a way of reminding us cruelly that nothing is ever permanent! Even General Ibrahim Babangida who ‘inaugurated’ Aso Villa is now resting in his Minna Hill-top mansion, living opulently and patiently awaiting the visit of the grim reaper! Leaders would always come and go but our Aso Villa would forever remain!
The late Gen. Sani Abacha imported marabouts from neighbouring countries to ensure his longevity in dictatorial power but these professional Islamic fetish priests did not prevent the maximum ruler from eating his last deadly apple! He kicked the bucket leaving the Villa behind!
In all honesty, I have never met Femi Adesina before but I have had the rare ‘privilege’ of communicating with him via email when he was editing the ‘Sun’ newspaper and even while in Aso Villa as Buhari’s chief spokesman. He is a jolly good fellow and his faith in God is strong indeed!
Adesina remains a compassionate person who is probably at peace with his soul and his Maker. When his ‘friend’, the former late Abba Kyari, Buhari’s Chief of Staff, suddenly died, Adesina penned a memorable tribute grieving Kyari. While the rest of us pilloried the fallen CoS for his power grab attitude, corruption and cupidity Adesina defended his integrity.
Perhaps, in the event of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu assuming the presidency come May 29, we shall be having a Bayo Onanuga or Dele Alake as Adesina’s replacement. Onanuga and Alake would, no doubt, do the job ‘better’ than Adesina has done.
We wish Femi Adesina a happy retirement! Let his memoirs be written in record time for us to have a glimpse of the power play and intrigues that occurred during his ‘service’ to the fatherland in the last eight years.
Goodbye Femi! But not from this world (may God give you long years and sound health!) but from the Villa from where you ‘attacked’ us all, calling us unprintable names and toying with our collective intelligence.
Let us wait patiently and see what happens post-May 29.
In the final analysis, however, President Buhari would be remembered more, long after his exit from the Villa, as that Head of State who boasted of reforming the electoral system only to aid and abet the worst electoral heist in our national history on February 25.
The controversial emergence of Asiwaju Tinubu as the ‘President-elect’ represents about the worst electoral legacy Buhari would be leaving behind. Come to think of it, the President, at best aloof, cannot claim ignorance of the ‘deal’ that preceded the 4am announcement of Tinubu as the ‘winner’ of the presidential poll.
At the fullest of time the stupendous amount Tinubu shelled out to ‘buy’ the presidency would be revealed. Like every other sordid thing about him the truth shall prevail!
Post-Buharism remembering Buhari is as insignificant for many Nigerians as remembering Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who annulled the June 12 electoral ‘revolution’. Or remembering the late Gen. Sani Abacha for his monumental kleptocracy.
We hold that the majority of Nigerians would not miss Buhari post-May 29. We wish the President happy retirement though! May his like never come our way again!
SOC Okenwa
soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr
